Malawi

Malawi is located in southern Africa, east of Zambia and west of Mozambique & Tanzania. The climate is sub-tropcial, with the rainy season stretching from November to May, and the dry season from May to November. According to the recent Demographic and Health Survey report (http://www.measuredhs.com/pubs/pub_details.cfm?ID=575), malaria continues to be a major public health problem in Malawi. It is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality, especially among children under the age of five and pregnant women. The Ministry of Health estimates more than 8 million cases of malaria per year throughout the country on average. Malaria accounts for 40% of all outpatient visits to health facilities in the country. Over 85% of malaria infections in Malawi are due to Plasmodium falciparum. QWeCI will provide prediction tools that will help health personnel mobilize resources before an outbreak.

The Malawi pilot project seeks to disseminate malaria risk forecasts with the use of long-range wi-fi technology. The use of these malaria forecasts will be monitored to determine usefulness, and to potentially roll out similar tools to disseminate forecasts for RVF and tick-borne diseases as well.